Secrets of my sisterhood

Cartoon courtesy of Jess Rae of Doodley Squat.

MAMA MIA, mayhem will reign in my house during the next couple of weeks as the saga of school holidays begins to unfold from this week. You see, when my two girls spend too much time together, it becomes the Clash of the Titans. Emotions spill over and it usually ends in a lot of yelling, things being thrown and tears. Lots of tears. Thankfully I have my sister and niece coming down from Queensland to visit us and help me entertain my little devils (I mean cherubs, well cherubic devils in disguise). Although my sister is only 18 months younger than me, she is still a kid at heart, so you can imagine how much my girls adore her. And when the two of us get together, it’s like one big rollercoaster ride — there is lots of noise and carry on, shouting and laughter — and watch out anyone who gets in the way. Kind of how it was growing up with her. My sister and I had a love-hate relationship when we were young. Being the oldest, I told her what to do and mostly she obeyed. She was like my little guinea pig and I would always experiment on her before trying it out myself. But she was also my partner in crime and we did everything together. And we had fun together. Mostly. I found out much later that the endless dance routines, karaoke competitions and running races were not some of her favourite things. Which was probably why she let loose on occasion. And things got ugly — hair pulling and scratching ugly and unfortunately, I was always the one who got caught, which infuriated me. But I would always bounce back, ready to play again after five minutes, the massive fight we just had completely forgotten. Not my sister though. No, she would lock herself in her room crying for hours, determined never to speak to me again. Despite our sibling rivalry, I loved her fiercely and was always the first to stand up for her if she was bullied. Even now when we argue (which is far less violent and painful) we can’t hold a grudge for long. That’s the beauty of being sisters. You love each other no matter what. Something my two girls haven’t fully mastered yet. But when I see my girls fighting, I am reminded of my sister and I growing up. Which means there is hope for them yet.